Ablation of Insulin-Producing Neurons in Flies: Growth and Diabetic Phenotypes
Abstract
In the fruit fly Drosophila , four insulin genes are coexpressed in small clusters of cells [insulin-producing cells (IPCs)] in the brain. Here, we show that ablation of these IPCs causes developmental delay, growth retardation, and elevated carbohydrate levels in larval hemolymph. All of the defects were reversed by ectopic expression of a Drosophila insulin transgene. On the basis of these functional data and the observation that IPCs release insulin into the circulatory system, we conclude that brain IPCs are the main systemic supply of insulin during larval growth. We propose that IPCs and pancreatic islet β cells are functionally analogous and may have evolved from a common ancestral insulin-producing neuron. Interestingly, the phenotype of flies lacking IPCs includes certain features of diabetes mellitus.
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From An option space for early neural evolution (2015) · cites this paper as [85]
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- Authors
- Rulifson, E. J., Kim, S. K., & Nusse, R.
- Affiliations
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
- Department of Developmental Biology,
- Corresponding author
- Rulifson, Eric J.
- ORCID
- Kim, Seung K.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2002-05-10
- Volume
- 296
- Issue
- 5570
- Pages
- 1118-1120
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W1987942547
- Cited by
- 1,064
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 21 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 57 · 2020: 52 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 66 · 2017: 42 · 2016: 47 · 2015: 56 · 2014: 61 · 2013: 63 · 2012: 45
- FWCI
- 11.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Pancreatic function and diabetes
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Metabolism, Diabetes, and Cancer
- Keywords
- insulin, Drosophila, neuronal ablation, larval growth, developmental delay, hemolymph glucose, pancreatic beta cells, diabetes mellitus
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Blood Glucose, Brain, Cell Count, Diabetes Mellitus, Drosophila, Heart, Hemolymph, Insect Hormones, Insulin, Larva, Myocardium, Neurons, Neurosecretory Systems, Oligopeptides, Phenotype, Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid, RNA, Messenger, Trehalose, Wings, Animal, Gene Expression, Transgenes, Drosophila Proteins, Animals, Genetically Modified, Cell Size
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